Perda Propinsi Sumatera Barat No.9 tahun 2000 tentang Kembali ke Pemerintahan Nagari disambut baik oleh banyak kabupaten di Propinsi Sumatera Barat yang didominasi etnis Minangkabau, namun bagi Kabupaten Kepulauan Mentawai yang beretnis Mentawai terjadi resistensi dengan mencoba memunculkan konsep pemerintahan Laggai sebagai identitas Mentawai untuk melawan identitas nagari-nya Minangkabau. Upaya ini justru memunculkan resistensi dari masyarakatnya sendiri dan Ranperda tersebut ditolak. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji, memahami, dan menjelaskan bentuk resistensi yang diperlihatkan oleh masyarakat Mentawai dalam menanggapi otonomi daerah di Sumatera Barat, dan bagaimana kondisi sosial budaya yang mendorong kemunculannya, serta bagaimana pengaruh penolakan tersebut terhadap identitas masyarakat Mentawai sebagai komunitas adat terpencil. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan pendekatan kualitatif, data didapatkan melalui observasi dan wawancara mendalam dengan informan yang telah dipilih. Analisa data dilakukan sejak awal penelitian hingga tahap penulisan laporan. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa resistensi masyarakat Mentawai telah terjadi sejak masyarakatnya punya kontak dengan orang luar. Dari catatan sejarah, tekanan kolonial Belanda dan Jepang sering disambut dengan berbagai perlawanan oleh masyarakatnya. Begitu juga setelah Indonesia merdeka, pihak pejabat pemerintahan Republik Indonesia melakukan represi ala pemerintah Indonesia, sehingga masyarakatnya mengenal masa setelah kemerdekaan ini sebagai “Zaman Indonesia”. Peristiwa yang paling menakutkan bagi masyarakat Mentawai di Zaman Indonesia ini adalah upaya pemerintah untuk menghapus kepercayaan Arat Sabulungan sebagai identitasnya orang Mentawai. Resistensi terhadap “Indonesia” dilakukan masyarakat antara lain dengan menolak program PKMT (resettlement), menolak membayar pajak (IPEDA atau PBB), dan peraturan desa. Resistensi yang terjadi di masyarakat Mentawai bisa dikelompokkan dua bagian. (1) Resistensi yang dilakukan oleh kelompok elit terpelajar Mentawai terhadap pemerintah Propinsi Sumatera Barat yang didominasi etnis Minangkabau. Resistensi tersebut dilakukan dengan merancang Perda pemerintahan Laggai bukan pemerintahan Nagari. (2) Resistensi yang dilakukan oleh masyarakat, khususnya di Pulau Siberut terhadap kelompok elit Mentawai dengan cara menolak Ranperda Laggai karena dianggap mengembalikan Mentawai ke zaman siburuk, sebagai orang-orang yang ”terbelakang”, identitas yang dikonstruksi oleh pemerintah dan orang luar. Resistensi kelompok elit dilakukan secara terbuka, seperti protes dan demonstrasi, sedangkan masyarakat Mentawai lebih banyak melakukan perlawanan terhadap elit Mentawai secara tersembunyi, seperti dengan cara diam, berolok-olok, mencemooh, pura-pura tidak tahu dan bergunjing.

The West Sumatran Provincial government (Perda) issued directive number 9/2000 in the year 2000, which stipulated the return to the Nagari Minangkabau style of administration. This concept was well received by many regencies of West Sumatra which are predominantly inhabited by ethnic Minangkabau. In contrast with the regency of the Mentawai island group which is mainly populated by ethnic Mentawaians. Resistance arose to the Laggai style, the Mentawai concept of administration. The local government application produced merely hostility and rejection. This research is intended to study, to understand and to analyse the types of resistance which were initiated by Mentawai islanders when regional autonomy was instigated in West Sumatra. It also seeks to identify which social cultural conditions caused the need to resist and it endeavours to analyse the effect of the indifference shown by authorities and others regarding the tradition of the remotely located Mentawai communities. This research was performed by using qualitative approach. The data collection used observation and depth interview to the selected informants. The data analysed had been done since the early research to the writing report phase. This research has revealed that the Mentawaians have resisted outside forces since long. In historical chronicles it has been noted that the Dutch and Japanese colonialists were met with several acts of resistance, similar to the post colonial situation, when officials of the Indonesian Republic repressed the population in the customary Indonesian government style. The Mentawaians refer to this period as “The Indonesian Era”. The form of resistance against the Indonesian Republic was not only expressed in the government resettlement programs (PKMT) and disobedience to village regulations, but also in general opposition to government policies, such as the refusal to pay land taxes and other common levies (IPEDA and PBB). The most despised by the Mentawai people was the Indonesian policy to attempt to wipe out their traditional faith known as Arat Sabulungan. The opposition of the Mentawaians can be grouped in two kinds of resistance. The resistance by the educated elite of Mentawai, who oppose the ethnically domination of the Minangkabau employed in the provincial West Sumatran administration. They levy objection against the planned local government Laggai administration, not the Nagari style administration. Secondly, opposition which is mainly carried out by the common citizens of Siberut Island and is directed at the Mentawaian elite. Their resistance consists of rejecting the government Laggai style, because this is considered returning to “the bad times” of Mentawai when an inferior image was created of the Mentawai inhabitants by outsiders and government officials The opposition by the elite is carried out by means of protest and public demonstrations. The ordinary Mentawaians resistance against the Mentawai elite is mainly carried out in an inconspicuous hidden manner, such as speaking badly of the administration, make a mockery, belittling, or just playing as if “not knowing better”.

Kata Kunci : laggai, resistensi, identitas, resistance, identity